NUPENG: Union calls for repair of federal roads

Korodo said that the rehabilitation would reduce unnecessary delay of petroleum tanker drivers, who lose a lot of time on the roads before getting products to their final destinations.

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Sunday urged the Federal Government to rehabilitate federal roads in the country, to ease transportation of petroleum products.

Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of the union, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Korodo said that the rehabilitation would reduce unnecessary delay of petroleum tanker drivers, who lose a lot of time on the roads before getting products to their final destinations.

"Most of the federal roads plied by petroleum tankers have become death traps and this is causing a lot of accidents to our tanker drivers."

Oshodi-Apapa Express Road, Okene-Lokoja and Owo-Akoko roads are in deplorable conditions.

"Government should ensure that all these roads are repaired this year to ease the movement of all vehicles plying the roads," he said.

The chairman urged the federal government to strive harder to protect NNPC pipelines from vandals across the nation.

He said that this would return normal loading activities at all abandoned NNPC depots nationwide.

Korodo also urged the federal government to ensure job security for workers in the oil and gas industry and drastically reduce the issue of contract staffing.

The chairman said that the union would give adequate support to the government to make it succeed in its efforts to keep Nigerians smiling.

He urged the Department of Petroleum Resources to withdraw or cancel the licence of any independent marketers that tried to frustrate its efforts.